Flow indicator



Oct. 2, 1934. M. M BQRDEN 1,975,710

FLOW INDICATOR 7 Filed April 23, 1931 n Mi WI lllll I f Qmmd PatentedOct. 2, 19 34 v.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 'FLOW nvnrcaroa Moro M. Borden,Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Simplex Valve and Meter Company,Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application April 23, 1931,Serial No. 532,350

2 Claims. (01. 73-167) This invention relates to flow indicators, and Ihave shown the arm 17 as connected through a more particularly to anapparatus for accurately cable 26 with a wheel 2'1 mounted on a shaft 28indicating recording and totalizing a flow differentiating withdiiferentiations in head of a a rod of flow dial 30. Wheel2'7 likewiseactuates fluid. a cable 31 from which are actuated a pen 32 oper- 60 Afurther object of the invention is the imating over a chart on arotating drum 33 and a provement of my prior apparatus for use in thistotalizer 34. This totalizer may be of the general connection asillustrated in Patent No. 1,296,041, construction of that indicated inmy prior patent for Fluid meter, patented Marchyi, 1919. aboveidentified, comprising a friction-driven A still further object of theinvention is to procounter, the friction element of which is shifted 65vide an apparatus of this character which will by movements of the cable31 over a friction aiford an indication of the several functions at disc35. The means for rotating the friction disc points remote to the pointof flow which is being 35 and drum 33 are not herein disclosed but may,recorded. likewise, be made in accordance with the afore- These andother objects I attain by the conmentioned patent. 7d struction shown inthe accompanying drawing, The bottom of casing 12 is in communicationwherein, for the purpose of illustration, I have through conduit 36 withthe lower end of a closed shown a preferred embodiment of my inventiontank 37 containing a suitable liquid. The upper and wherein: end of thistank is in communication with the 2 Fig. 1 is a semi-diagrammatic viewshowing a conduit 38 having its terminal portion disposed i5 flowindicator constructed in accordance with in the fluid passing throughweir 10 and the openmy invention; ing 11 and disposed at the level ofthe lower edge Fig. 2 is a fragmentary detail sectional view of thisopening. Conduit 38 intermediate its showing the disposition of the flowsubmerged ends is in communication with a suitable source end of thepressure pipe with relation to the weir of gaseous fluid under pressure,the available over which the flow is passing; and pressure being at alltimes slightly greater than Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the useofthat necessary to overcome the possible head a diflerent type ofmeter. against the outlet or submerged end of conduit 38 Referring nowmore particularly to the drawand the supply being at all times such thatthere 0 ing, the numeral 10 generally designates a weir is no tendencyto artificially built-up pressures having a flow outlet 11, the flowthrough which other than those caused by the head in the conis to beindicated, and recorded or totalized, or duit 38. both recorded andtotalized. Regulation of the supply may be obtained in In accordancewith my invention I provide a several manners, one of which is indicatedin the 35 float chamber 12 having arranged therein a drawing in whichconduit 38 is shown as in float 13 secured to a vertically guided rod14. communication with the air pressure pipe through Upon a bracket 15,which may comprise one of the a valve 39, the stem 40 of which isrectilinearly guides for the rod, I mount a shaft 16 having movable toefiect opening and closing of the valve. secured thereto a cable arm 17at present disclosed Associated with this valve is a rotatable cam 41 asin the form of a complete wheel. Shaft 16 is at present shown as securedto the side of asheave likewise equipped with an arm 19 having at its 42having a grooved periphery in which is sefree end a roller 20 for thepurpose presently to cured and operates a cable 43 one end of whichappear. Vertically adjustably secured to rod 14 is attached to acounter-weight 44 and the oppois a sleeve 21 having secured thereto acam 23 site end of which is connected with a float 45.and'avertically-extending guide arm 24 co-acting As float 45 rises andfalls in response to head with a guide or backing roller 25. Cam 23 inthe variations in weir 10, the valve is opened and lowermost position offloat 13 is co-acting with closed by co-action of cam 41 with stem 40thus roller 20 of arm 19 and continues this co-action at all timesmaintaining a suitable flow to conthroughout the scope of movement offloat 13, the duit 38. Y I roller being maintained in engagement withthe It will be obvious that with variations of head cam through acounterweight of the indicating in weir 10 there will be correspondingvariations mechanism. of pressure in conduit 38 and in the tank 37 re-From the arm 1'? indicating, recording or regissulting .in varyingdisplacements of the liquid tering mechanism, or a combination of thesefeacontained in tank 37 and a corresponding rise and tures, may beactuated. In the present instance fall of the liquid level in casing 12acccmlit which, likewise, bears a pointf 29 comma TM 7 panying movementsof float 13, rod 14 and cam 23. By properly proportioning arms 17 and 19and the cam, the movement imparted to indicator 29 the chart, pen 32 andregister 34 will obviously be proportionate to the flow in its changes.

Apparatus of this character permits accurate indication, recording andtotalizing at a remote point at a relatively low cost and with anapparatus which may be very cheaply manufactured and very readilymaintained in operation since it is extremely simple in itsconstruction. Obvi; ously, other types of gauges may be employed assuggested in Fig. 3 wherein I have disclosed means. for correlating thedisplaced water or other liquid ejected from thetankB'Z-Qz with a fixedscale 46. By the use of either apparatus an accurate reproduction of theidentical water head at the weir may be duplicated at either a higher ora lower elevation and at a distance and may be utilized to indicte theflow rate at the weir by operation of a measuring means.

Since the constructionillustrated is obviously capable of modificationand rearrangement withtaining a liquid, an indicator operated by theliquid level in one chamber, the other chamber being closed, a conduitcommunicating at one end with the last chamber, said conduit having itsopposite end open and submerged in the liquid the flow of which is to beindicated, a source of fluid in constant communication with said conduitand means controlled by the head of said flow for varying the amount offluid under pressure delivered from said source.

2. In indicating apparatus of the type described, a closed chamber, asecond chamber communicating at its lower end with the lower endof thefirst-named chamber, a liquid in said chambers, an indicator operated bythe liquid level in the'second chamber, a source of gaseous fluidunderpressure communicating with the first-named chamber and with the liquidthe head of which is to be indicated through a conduit having its endimmersed in the liquid the head of which is to be indicated, and meanscontrolling the supply of fluid to said conduit by the head of theliquid the head of which is to be indicated, comprising a valvecontrolling communication between the conduit and the source of gaseousfluid under pressure, a float moving with variations in the head of theliquid to be indicated and a cam controlled by said float andcontrolling said valve. v

' MORO M. BORDEN.

